Disclaimer: This post is NOT about whether or not I think the world is better off without religion. It is NOT about denouncing traditions and disrespecting my upbringing. This post is only about the small simple things that could be different in the world without religion.
First of all, there would be one less subject in school. (Sucks cause that was usually an easy A) Next, there would be all that extra real estate all over the place with the missing churches. Then, all those priest and Deacons would end up somewhere else in our workforce as a sales man, a janitor, or trying to save the world in some other way. There would be one less way to kill a vampire. There would be no more discussion about the separation of church and state and the pledge of allegiance would be a little shorter. There would be one less thing to discriminate against. It would open up some time on the weekend for watching football. People would have to find a new reason to fight wars. There would be no more school on Sunday. The Crusades and the Holocaust would not have happened. An Extremist would just mean “Someone passionate” and a “Fundamentalist” would be someone that concentrates on basics of life, not religion. Al Qaeda would just be a group of people that don’t like America. There would be one less thing to do before you go to bed. It finally would be a fact that evolution happened. Overall, people would just be less afraid.
I hope I don’t sound bias because I don’t want to come off that way. I mean there are plenty of things that would suck without religion. I mean, there would be no Christmas. No Hanukkah. No Easter. No Halloween. No St. Patty’s. I can’t think of much more, but I think that’s enough.
All in all, if religion didn’t exist, I’m still not sure the world would be much different anyway. I know the war thing would be big, but I’m sure us humans would find something to fight about even without religion. Also, some people think we base our lives off the morals found within religion, but I’m not quite sure that’s so true. (Have you read the old testament?) I feel that people are naturally “good” with, or without religion.
Some would say that religion gives us hope, and for a lot of people it does, but I still believe that hope comes from within. Faith, self-respect, confidence, honesty, respect for the people around you, respect for the planet, love, conflict, responsibility, drive to make yourself better, procreation and sex, marriage, family, friends and community are all things that drive you in your everyday life. These are the things that mold you to who you are. You as a person need to find a way to manage these things to form the person you are. But in the end, I think religion is here for a reason, and I have a great respect for it. I just believe that the world could survive without it.